Book Review

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Short Story Review: Second Suicide by Hugh Howey

Posted by tjhapney on February 5, 2015
Posted in: Science Fiction, Short Story. Tagged: , , , , , , , , . Leave a comment

SecondDescription/Blurb:

Eight days to planetfall, and I’m being transferred to Gunner. My tentacles slime in disgust.

Or is it fear?

If this is the last planet we ever conquer, I’ll be glad. Be nice to settle down somewhere, get off this ship, own a square of land, learn to love all that open sky.

Eight more days before planetfall. Eight days before we reach planet Earth.

Review 4 of 5 Stars

This short story from Hugh Howey was a fun piece to read. Despite some of the alien invader’s more serious issues, the story did not take itself too seriously. I found myself smiling at more than one point. The main character, Hyk, is an invading alien who finds himself transferred from a cushy intelligence job to a combat unit. Hyk is an entertaining character and I enjoyed reading about his experiences. Unfortunately our main character’s roommate, Kur, is essentially a 12-year-old with regard to his mentality, especially with regard to humor. I truly felt for our main character because of this, but not enough to want them to invade Earth. Although this story has a complete story arc, it is a short story and I wouldn’t want to ruin the fun. I enjoyed reading Second Suicide, got a few juvenile laughs from it and liked that it was told from the tentacled alien’s perspective. I won’t say it is Hugh Howey’s best story, but it was entertaining. If you have a spare dollar then you might want to take a look.

 

 

 

Book Review: Light in the Gloaming by J.B. Simmons

Posted by tjhapney on January 31, 2015
Posted in: Fantasy. Tagged: , , , , , , , , , . Leave a comment

gloamingDescription/Blurb:

“The Gloaming was worse than the grave…”

Or so Tryst believed when he banished the former prince to this secret and brutal exile. Now Tryst sits on the throne of Valemidas. He feasts with nobles and prepares an army to conquer the world.

But things are never as stable as they seem. Old loyalties remain. The people of Valemidas groan under Tryst’s heavy yoke and his network of spies. While the seeds of rebellion are planted, Tryst’s own family is divided. His sister has ambitions exceeding her brother’s, and their half-sister wants vengeance for the disappeared prince she loved. No one escapes the Gloaming, but perhaps the fallen prince is different. What would happen if a man emerged from a place worse than the grave?

Alliances will crumble, battles will rage, and souls will transform in the Gloaming.

Review 2 of 5 Stars

I was provided with a copy of this book by the author in return for an honest review. I had started to read this book once before, but couldn’t get into it. I put it down for a really long time, but it was at the top of the list when I was clearing out those books on my list that I had not yet reviewed simply because it was the oldest one on the list. So I decided to settle in for a good read and give it a chance.

Light in the Gloaming started out pretty well in the Gloaming, which is an advanced dungeon. In fact the way they dropped people in was very Chronicles of Riddick. I actually thought about Riddick almost as soon as the book started in the Gloaming. Don’t worry though. It’s not a Riddick remake. It only follows that path with regard to the start of the story and it does not continue in that vein. I will say that there was a rather unrealistic escape made at the beginning. If it was that easy, everyone would be doing it. Despite all of that, I would have been interested in learning more about the struggles of those who had been cast off from society to inhabit the place, but the majority of the book isn’t spent in the Gloaming. It’s spent in the outer world.

The story was okay, but I didn’t really “feel” anything for the characters. I wasn’t invested in them or the world building. There were some interesting parts to the story, but for the most part it read like a watered down Game of Thrones book with a good helping of religious philosophies thrown in. The good part is that I didn’t have any problem finishing the book so it’s not that it is poorly written, but I did find some typos in the version I was provided by the author (I have to put a disclaimer here because it’s been quite some time since the author requested I review the book and there may have been updates since then with regard to proofing).

Tryst is the bad guy, but he’s only so frightening. Ramzi is supposed to be a bad guy, but once again he didn’t feel too frightening. I didn’t get the true feeling of dread you ought to from the bad guy. Andor is the good guy, but most days he is pretty inconsistent as a character and seemed to just be going through the motions. I really thought there should have been more time spent developing Andor as a character since he’s the hero of the story. In my opinion, the best characters in the book were Wren and Jon who I did enjoy reading about. They were the only two characters that came across as real people to me or that interested me enough to want to know what they were up to not only during the book, but afterwards.

So the final rundown is that the book was okay. The writing was okay. There weren’t a bunch of typos and I didn’t have a hard time getting through it based on the writing. In the end though, this book left me with a kind of blah feeling. I wasn’t excited about the story and have no interest in the continuing tale. I read a lot of books of this general type so I don’t think it had anything to do with the genre. That’s it for January. I hope everyone has a great weekend. I’ll be back with more book reviews next week.

There were some good parts to the story. I was very interested in the Gloaming and what took place there given its very dystopian feel. It’s possible that the next book delves into that more, but I doubt I’ll be reading the second book in the series as I still wasn’t really interested in this book even at the end.

Book Review: The Shell Collector by Hugh Howey

Posted by tjhapney on January 24, 2015
Posted in: Book Review, Romance, Science Fiction. Tagged: , , , , , , . 1 Comment

ShellDescription/Blurb:

The ocean is dying. The sea is growing warmer and is gradually rising. Seashells have become so rare that collecting them is now a national obsession. Flawless specimens sell like priceless works of art. Families hunt the tideline in the dark of night with flashlights. Crowds gather on beaches at the lowest of tides, hoping to get lucky.

Supreme among these collectors is Ness Wilde, CEO of Ocean Oil. Ness owns many of the best beaches, and he keeps them to himself. It’s his fault the world turned out this way. And I aim to destroy him.

My name is Maya Walsh. You might be familiar with my shelling column in the Times. I was working on a series of pieces about Mr. Wilde, when out of the blue, he called. He says he wants to talk. But I don’t think he’s going to like what I have to say.

Review 4 of 5 Stars

With regard to the writing, this may be one of my favorite Hugh Howey books yet. The writing flowed effortlessly across the page. Having said that this may be my favorite Hugh Howey book yet based on the writing, you may wonder why I’m only giving it four stars. That really comes down to things that were left up in the air, like the FBI interest in Mr. Ness. I’m still not sure what happened with all of that, but the writing was fantastic. I enjoyed the story and laughed at the sometimes awkward romantic circumstances that Mr. Howey put them into, but overall it was a good read. I really enjoyed the environmental part of the story so to speak and all of the interesting information about the different kinds of shells. I’ve been collecting shells all of my life (amateur only) and never imagined that I could become so interested in what had once inhabited those shells.

If you are a Wool or Sand fan this may not be your bailiwick, but if you are willing to read something outside of your comfort zone then you may find this to be a story that warms your heart as it did mine. There were a lot of things about this story that interested me. I like that the author wrote so much closer to home this time. Wool and Sand are both set far enough in the future that it takes a while to realize they aren’t based somewhere else. Although this story is set in the future, the surroundings in this story were more familiar and easier to overlook. I live in Florida and spend a lot of time at the beach and other such assorted things that made the story feel more contemporary.

This story did suffer from some of the normal pitfalls of romances. A romance is a formula of sorts:  boy meets girl; boy loses girl; boy either gets girl back or girl finds much more interesting person out of nowhere and ends up madly in love either way. Romances are kind of naturally unrealistic. That’s why I think they are so popular. A romance is a chance to practice escapism. Even though most of us know that life doesn’t generally work like it does in romance novels, there are those rare occasions and sometimes it is nice to daydream about it happening to us. I read science fiction for the same reason, daydreaming. I’m not likely to be sent to space on a ship tomorrow, but I’ve been daydreaming about it since I was a little girl. Very likely, the only way I’ll ever get to space is through a book. Romances are just a different kind of escapism and I think the author did a good job with it.

There are many of Mr. Howey’s fans who may not appreciate The Shell Collector or who do not support authors writing outside of their usual genre. I’m sorry for them. This was a beautiful story and it left me with a good feeling at the end. Once again, maybe not for those readers that only enjoy science fiction, but if you’d like a little daydreaming it may be just fine.

 

Grieftime by Heather Bulpett

Posted by tjhapney on August 27, 2014
Posted in: Book Review, Romance, Science Fiction. Tagged: , , , , , , . Leave a comment

grieftime Description:

In a world where life, love and even reproduction are regulated by the state, Lyn reluctantly accepts that she must marry again just weeks after her first husband’s death. Supported by her friend Judith, she acquiesces to her every movement being monitored ‘in her own best interests’.

 Into Lyn’s life comes Mikey, a younger man who was once a pupil of hers. Lyn tries to follow the rules and fit into the wifely role that has been allotted to her, learning how to cope with the exuberant, straight-talking Mikey and his large, boisterous family – something she never had as an orphan brought up in a ‘dump’ home. But a new relationship is not the only surprise Lyn has to face: she feels as if she is being stalked, and isn’t even sure if she can trust her best friend anymore.

As Lyn’s world unravels, she is comforted by her new husband and supported by her mysterious ‘counsellor’ Dylan. But who really has her best interests at heart, and can the heavy surveillance she is under ever be justified? Grieftime is an innovative novel that embraces a world shaped by technology; a world without free will that surely none of us would want to live in.

Review 4 of 5 Stars

I received a copy of this book from the publisher for an honest review. First of all, this story was well-written and it was easy to become invested in the main characters. In fact, the characters are the majority of the story. I remember very little of the descriptive pieces aside from a couple of walks in the park and the general layout of the character’s house. I was not thrilled by the subservient role women were given in the book and I have to say that somewhat detracted from my enjoyment of the story. Anyone who knows me would understand that since I’m about as independent and self-reliant as they come.

As a character Lyn was easy to feel for. Despite the misogynistic feeling of the story, I did find myself invested in the love story that took place between Lyn and Mike. I don’t want to give too many details lest I ruin the book, but this was the best part of the story in my opinion. I never really got the feeling of dread and fear of Lyn’s crazy ‘best’ friend from the orphanage (or dump as it’s called in this case) despite her best attempts. Once again, I’m not the cowering type so I don’t know that I found her adversary to be all that threatening for the majority of the book. That opinion changed some as things went on, but I didn’t get that ‘feeling’ of fear from her. It was obvious she was broken and was supposed to be somewhat dangerous, but perhaps if the cards had been played somewhat differently then the situation might have ended differently as well.

Mike’s family mostly seems to have Lyn’s best interests at heart as do his staff, but no one else who is supposed to be looking out for her seems to want anything but misery for her, including the government representatives that resemble the NSA being involved in your sex life. Generally, aside from Lyn, the story is full of self-serving, greedy people who only care about themselves and what they want. Lyn’s feelings and wants are an afterthought to most of the men in her life and I found that to be sad. I’m afraid if I was forced to live in this world that they would find me in a hut on an unmarked mountain to avoid the police state that is present in every aspect of the characters’ lives.

Don’t run away too fast, because the author has talent and the story moved along at a good clip. I kept returning to the story to find out what would happen next whenever I got the chance and I generally enjoyed the book. I definitely enjoyed the author’s style of storytelling and would have liked to have had the opportunity to read more from her. Unfortunately Ms. Bulpett passed away during the publishing process so I’m afraid we will not have the chance to see what else she could have produced.

The Hidden Realms of Firestone by Linda David

Posted by tjhapney on August 22, 2014
Posted in: Book Review, Fantasy, Science Fiction. Tagged: , , , , , , , . Leave a comment

FirestoneDescription:

She may not have the sweetest of natures, being spoilt, temperamental and often downright moody, but what twelve-year-old Agathea Fulstropp (Thea to her friends), does have is a rather unusual secret – a secret shared only by herself and her grandfather.
She is Earth’s first and only pupil to be enrolled at the Firestone Academy on the faraway Planet of Aruuliah!
Preparing for a new term, packed with the excitement of making new friends, confronting old enemies and getting to grips with alien technologies, Thea is soon to discover that being from Earth has its drawbacks as she becomes the target of a sinister plot to remove her from the Academy – permanently!
Help, however, comes from the most unlikely of places and she, unwittingly encounters a hidden realm concealed within the grounds of the Academy – a world made up of pure energy, populated with mythical creatures of legend and folklore, and whose existence remains a closely guarded secret from all physical beings, whether human or alien.
Time is running out though, as Thea, along with her best friends Jojan and Annalije, desperately try to figure out who, amongst her peers, hates her enough to wish her gone.
Can they solve the mystery before it’s too late, or will Thea, having faced mortal danger once already the previous summer, be lucky enough to escape, unscathed a second time?

Review: 3 of 5 Stars

Aside from Harry Potter I haven’t read much young adult fiction for quite some time (let’s just leave it at that and not count the years). However, I was provided a copy of this story and it was written well enough that I decided to go ahead and review it.

The Hidden Realms of Firestone was an enjoyable story. The start of the book was a little too reminiscent of Harry Potter when the author was describing how the school’s various houses were set up, but once it got going it was very much a story of its own. Sometimes Thea is a bit spoiled and temperamental, but she’s also an 11-year-old girl who goes to school in outer space so there seems to be a lot going on in her life.

I very much enjoyed the creatures in the book, such as the gruzzlings, wood nymphs and Sam (I can’t remember the species name of this small character in the book). Thea spends a good bit of her time in this book trying to avoid being kidnapped and trying to solve the mystery of who is out to get her. Accompanied by her stalwart friend Jojan and roommate Annalije, Thea gets into quite a few predicaments. There is a good amount of action towards the end of the book and the book was a standalone story despite there being a previous book before this one, which I did not read. Nevertheless, I had no problem following the characters and other the author did a good job of making sure that the important elements of the previous story were clear enough that it wasn’t necessary to read the first book to keep from feeling lost.

Thea seems to need to work on her temper somewhat as it leads her into things headlong, but overall the story was pretty well-written and I enjoyed it so it gets 3 out of 5 stars. I’m always confused when people get upset with a 3-star rating and I hope this won’t be the case with this book. I enjoyed it as an adult and imagine that if I were a young girl I might have even enjoyed it a bit more. This is a well-crafted story that I would not be adverse to having a child read and I think a younger person could easily get caught up in the idea of school on planet Aruuliah.

If there’s a young person in your life who enjoys science fiction/fantasy stories this might be right up their alley.

 

A Feast for Crows: A Song of Ice and Fire (Game of Thrones-Book Four) by George R.R. Martin

Posted by tjhapney on August 2, 2014
Posted in: Fantasy. Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , . Leave a comment

GOT4Description:

It seems too good to be true. After centuries of bitter strife and fatal treachery, the seven powers dividing the land have decimated one another into an uneasy truce. Or so it appears. . . . With the death of the monstrous King Joffrey, Cersei is ruling as regent in King’s Landing. Robb Stark’s demise has broken the back of the Northern rebels, and his siblings are scattered throughout the kingdom like seeds on barren soil. Few legitimate claims to the once desperately sought Iron Throne still exist—or they are held in hands too weak or too distant to wield them effectively. The war, which raged out of control for so long, has burned itself out.

But as in the aftermath of any climactic struggle, it is not long before the survivors, outlaws, renegades, and carrion eaters start to gather, picking over the bones of the dead and fighting for the spoils of the soon-to-be dead. Now in the Seven Kingdoms, as the human crows assemble over a banquet of ashes, daring new plots and dangerous new alliances are formed, while surprising faces—some familiar, others only just appearing—are seen emerging from an ominous twilight of past struggles and chaos to take up the challenges ahead.

It is a time when the wise and the ambitious, the deceitful and the strong will acquire the skills, the power, and the magic to survive the stark and terrible times that lie before them. It is a time for nobles and commoners, soldiers and sorcerers, assassins and sages to come together and stake their fortunes . . . and their lives. For at a feast for crows, many are the guests—but only a few are the survivors.

Review 4 of 5 Stars

I really enjoyed the portions of the story about Arya Stark and Prince Oberyn’s daughters, but I have to say that a lot of this book wasn’t very interesting to me. I also found the portions about Sam’s voyage to be somewhat interesting. However, in the end, I find that I could care less what happens in the Iron Islands. I don’t care if Theon makes it home ever and though his sister talks a good line, she seems to do more talking about fighting than actually fighting battles.

Sansa’s life in the Eyrie pretending to be Littlefinger’s bastard daughter was interesting enough and seemed necessary for moving the plot ahead in the end. We all know Littlefinger has his hands in as many pies as possible and it was interesting to see how his grand scheme was moving along. I very much enjoyed the turning of the tables on Cersei after her most recent scheme against Margaery Tyrell failed and she ended up where she would have liked to have seen Margaery. I don’t want to spoil this with details, but it’s nice to see Cersei have to deal with being treated as she likes to treat others.

Brienne has a unique encounter with Lady Stoneheart. I’ll leave you to find this one out on your own as well since I was, at least, mildly surprised. Jaime is around, but aside from maneuvering some pieces for later in the story there wasn’t a lot going on with him.

This book was a little slower for me. I’m glad I read it after Book 5 had been published as Book 4 was missing too many of the characters I’ve become invested in. It was a good read, though. As usual, Martin is a good storyteller and the quality of his tale continues. I round up for any half stars, but this one would have come in around 3 1/2 since it was pretty slow. I’ve rounded up to 4 since I’m obviously continuing to read the series. I read Book 5 immediately after, which may have helped to alleviate some of the disjointed feeling readers in the past had due to the geographical split before Book 5 was published.  All in all this has been a really good series and I’ve enjoyed visiting Mr. Martin’s world.

Book Review: Sand Omnibus by Hugh Howey

Posted by tjhapney on March 10, 2014
Posted in: Book Review, Science Fiction. Tagged: , , , , . Leave a comment

sandBook Description/Blurb:

The old world is buried. A new one has been forged atop the shifting dunes. Here in this land of howling wind and infernal sand, four siblings find themselves scattered and lost. Their father was a sand diver, one of the elite few who could travel deep beneath the desert floor and bring up the relics and scraps that keep their people alive. But their father is gone. And the world he left behind might be next.

Welcome to the world of Sand, the first new novel from New York Times bestselling author Hugh Howey since his publication of the Silo Saga. Unrelated to those works, which looked at a dystopian world under totalitarian rule, Sand is an exploration of lawlessness. Here is a land ignored. Here is a people left to fend for themselves. Adjust your ker and take a last, deep breath before you enter.

Review 5 of 5 Stars

So I waffled on this one between 4 and 5 stars, but had to end up giving it 5 stars since I’m pretty sure I’ll be reading it again at some point in the future. I was intrigued by the world that Hugh Howey created in this story. No pun intended, but Howey has created a gritty, stark story in a desolate landscape where humankind must struggle at every moment for survival. I hate it when people say it’s not as good as or not the same as what an author previously wrote. Unless it’s the same story, it’s difficult to compare apples to oranges. Hugh Howey is obviously interested in the human condition and how we relate to one another and I believe that Sand does a good job of exploring this. I like stories that are about the characters themselves and how they overcome their adversity more so than focusing primarily on the world they are surrounded by.

As this story starts right in the action (something I prefer), I was immediately drawn into the world created for this story full of adventure, exploration and survival against both the natural elements and the others inhabiting it. I loved Howey’s description of sand diving and his use of it as a story element. I could almost feel the sand pushing against my chest. However, I can easily tell you it would not be a profession for me. I felt a little claustrophobic just reading about it and feel it would take a special kind of person to be a sand diver. Sand divers search out usable items, trinkets and other relics of humankind’s lost past below the sands of their world, the truth of the lost world buried beneath the sand and years of legends. Each day is a struggle to hold the sands back so that life can continue in the shanty type towns that hold the remaining human population.

It was easy to follow along with the main character as he was a pretty likable adventurer. I very much enjoyed the story’s adventure. Howey does a great job selling his world and I swore at times I could taste the dust on my tongue. I’m not sure quite how I feel about the ending still. I took a few weeks to digest it, but I decided perhaps that would be an ongoing condition and I ought to go ahead and write the review anyway. There’s simply too much going on to give a lot of detail without getting into a spoiler situation. As readers of this blog know, I like to let you form your own opinions without giving too much away in the review.

I will say that I can easily recommend this book if you like a good yarn. If you are already a fan of Hugh Howey just go ahead and buy it. I don’t think you’ll be disappointed.

 

Book Review: Feedback by Peter Cawdron

Posted by tjhapney on March 2, 2014
Posted in: Book Review, Science Fiction. Tagged: , , , , , , , . Leave a comment

FeedbackBook Description:

Twenty years ago, a UFO crashed into the Yellow Sea off the Korean Peninsula. The only survivor was a young English-speaking child, captured by the North Koreans. Two decades later, a physics student watches his girlfriend disappear before his eyes, abducted from the streets of New York by what appears to be the same UFO.

Feedback will carry you from the desolate, windswept coastline of North Korea to the bustling streets of New York and on into the depths of space as you journey to the outer edge of our solar system looking for answers.

Review 4 of 5 Stars

I’ve been a bit remiss regarding getting a review up for this book as I was a beta reader for it and read it before it came out. Obviously, I was provided with a review copy of this story.  I’m currently working on two books of my own and like most other writers have a full-time job (Yes, this is the rationalization for my procrastination). On with the review.

I loved the way this story started right at the beginning of the mystery and in the action. Following our pilot friend, John Lee, as he crashes and makes his way through hostile territory to locate the young English-speaking boy who was the survivor of a UFO crash gets you right into the story. I like when I’m immediately sucked in.

From there the story swaps back and forth between North Korea 20 years ago with our pilot friend and modern-day New York with the main character of our story, Jason. Jason is a student and space geek like oh so many thousands across the world, who just so happens to find a strange girl standing on the street corner for hours on end in the rain outside of his apartment. Being a good soul he invites her in to get dry and possibly help her find whatever she’s waiting for. From the first, Lily is an odd cookie and something strange seems to be going on with her, but Jason who is almost immediately smitten seems to take a while to get around to just how odd her behavior is.

I don’t want to give things away, but the story accelerates from this point at a low burn action-adventure pace like you might find in movies like Chain Reaction or National Treasure. I don’t know what you’d call it, but it has that kind of feel of the collegiate action-adventure hero type thing for lack of a better explanation. The story moves along at a pretty good pace and I enjoyed the unveiling of the plot and the intertwining of characters and timelines. There were some things I would have liked to have seen more on. Jason’s professor is quite the interesting guy who we unwittingly meet earlier in the story. I would have liked to know more about how the professor got from Point A to Point B in his life to be in place in Jason’s life. Given the story line it seems that it would have had to be pretty complex and I would be interested in reading more about that background and how it all developed.

I can’t say that I was pleased to see how things turned out with Lily and Jason. I would have liked to have seen that wrapped up some other way, but I’m sure that’s just the romantic in me. Overall it was a good story that I’m willing to recommend to others, though I would have liked to see more at some points as I did have some unanswered questions. The epilogue was one of the best and most fascinating parts of the book. I could have read an entire book that started where the epilogue took us and followed it out through the universe with no hesitation.

I think there is another, perhaps greater, story here that Peter Cawdron hasn’t written yet and may deem fit to take us through at some point. I feel like Feedback was only a chapter in what could be a greater study of these aliens in the universe and I would very interested in reading more about them. It is like we are at the edge of something great that hasn’t quite happened yet. Needless to say, the author has captured my attention and set my imagination in gear with this story. I like a story that makes me dream about what-if’s. Feedback is a good story in itself, but it could easily turn out to be the first book in a very fascinating universe if the author is so inclined.

Echo (An Alex Benedict Novel) by Jack McDevitt

Posted by tjhapney on January 22, 2014
Posted in: Science Fiction. Tagged: , , , , , , , . Leave a comment

EchoDescription/Book Blurb:

Sunset Tuttle spent a lifetime looking for alien species. Twenty-five years after Tuttle’s death, Alex Benedict discovers a stone tablet inscribed with cryptic symbols, now in the possession of Tuttle’s one- time lover Rachel Bannister. Benedict is determined to decipher its secret-one Bannister doesn’t want revealed. Could it be that Tuttle’s obsessive quest was successful?

Review 5 of 5 Stars

I really enjoyed this book from start to finish and find that I very much like the Alex Benedict novels as a whole.  It was a true mystery/thriller science fiction story and I loved it.  I’m a big fan of mystery/thrillers and to have it all bound up in a science fiction story is almost more than I can ask for if it comes to getting everything you want out of a reading experience.  Echo was very much my type of book.  It was smart, suspenseful, had that gritty quality that allows you to suspend your disbelief and really get into a story.  Both Alex Benedict and Chase Kolpath are fantastic companions to take on your adventure.  They are smart, resourceful people who like getting at the answers.  I hate to say too much and give away the ending which really makes the whole journey worth it.  The intrigue and mystery will lead you upon an interesting path that takes you to an unexpected conclusion.

Reading this book has set me on a path of adventures with Alex Benedict and I hope you enjoy this book as well as others in the series as much as I did this one.  I fully recommend it.